A Victim Of Circumstances
by Runa93
Summary: Dedicated to VHunter07, a really marvelous Sherlockian! Tiny bit sad, but I'd like to think that it'll make you think a bit.........


I stood in the dark tunnel, leaning against the dark walls and clutching my bleeding arm. I had long since lost sense of the direction which I was in and where Holmes was.

The blast had separated us, bringing down a huge mountain of dust and stone ion the bargain. I believe that my arm was broken but it was impossible to tell in the darkness.

_Fool, I told him it was too dangerous to do this, I told him Sanders was up to something, I told him…._ But it was too late to regret what was done. I had no idea where Holmes was or whether he was injured. Only echoes had answered my shouts and my wounded arm refused any movement.

_Damn Sanders……………_

There was a slight noise next to me and a groan. I whirled around, wincing as my arm protested. "Holmes?!"

In the darkness, I could just about make out a man's face and as I started forward in the hope that it was my friend, another voice startled me.

"Watson?"

I swung about in the direction it came from, and felt my heart sink. A giant wall of brick and mud separated us.

"Watson? Watson, are you there?" Nevertheless, it was my friend and I felt my heart fill with gladness.

"Yes, I'm here!" I heard an audible sigh of relief from the other side.

"Thank god! When I couldn't find you, I feared…." He left the thought unfinished. Better that way. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." And knowing that he would not brook any untruths, I added "Only an injured arm but its not serious."

There was a slight scuffling sound and Holmes's voice sounded through the spaces in the brick. "Is it broken?"

"I don't know. I don't think so."

"Is it bleeding heavily?"

"Not very." But he could hear the half truth through my voice and deduced enough.

"I see." A slight pause. I waited listening to his soft breathing which was audible even to me.

"Holmes, are you injured?"

"No. A few bruises, nothing more." There was a clatter as a number of stones had fallen. From the other side I heard Holmes curse.

"Damn this wall!" I heard him kick it and grinned inwardly. Holmes was so deuced impatient with everything.

"Watson, just…just wait for a few minutes. There is an opening on my side and I'll go and find someone. I'll be back in a moment."

"Alright then." I heard his footsteps grow fainter until they finally disappeared. As the last of them died away, I felt suddenly lonely. Alone except for-

I started. That man. The one who was lying next to me. Holmes was outside so it wasn't him. Did somebody else get trapped in here with us?

I staggered to the spot where I remembered he lay as fast as my injured arm would allow. As I knelt by his side, I heard his soft, but erratic breathing, and breathed in relief. At least he was still alive.

As I leaned down, my arm brushed against his shoulder. He uttered a low moan.

"It's alright." I gently tried to pull him up, but noticed with dismay that his entire lower half was half buried in the rubble. No wonder he was in so much pain.

"Its fine. I'm a doctor. I can help you." He groaned again. I cursed the darkness. It was almost impossible to see anything. Then I spotted the wall of rubble and an idea flickered.

"Wait here." _As if he could do anything else!_ "I'm coming back, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere." With these words, I left my patient and hurried to the wall. After dislodging quite a few pieces of stone, I managed to create a small gap from where the narrowest ray of light entered our dark dungeon. Satisfied with my work, I was just pulling out a large chunk to make the gap bigger when a voice sounded out behind me.

"Fancy….meeting you…here…Doctor."

I froze. I knew that voice.

Sanders.

A wheezy chuckle sounded behind me. "Recognized… me, have you?"

I slowly turned around to find my patient sitting up and looking at me. Through the light I could dimly see the dark, black hair and eyes of Edward Sanders.

"Lie down." I said automatically, my doctor's instincts immediately leaping to attention. Even with the faint light I could see the dark blood dripping from his sides and face.

He chuckled softly at my statement. "I ain't going to….. live with this….. wound, doctor." He said with remarkably little worry, as I approached him slowly. "Lighten…. up, I can't….. shoot you. Not got my….. gun."

"How do I know that?" I asked as I approached and bent down at his side. He watched me examine his wound with curiosity.

"You ain't got a choice. Its only the two of us here and no mister Holmes to guess what goes on before a man even opens his mouth." He looked at me, probably hoping to see some fear or despair in being trapped in a place like this with a wanted criminal but I ignored him. Nor did I enlighten him about Holmes.

"Not worried are you?" he remarked, his breathing finally slowing down. He watched me as I peeled away the torn rements of his clothing and examined his wound carefully. "Say, why are you doing that anyway? Ain't I the criminal?"

"I'm merely doing my job, "I said evenly, "as a doctor. Besides Holmes needs you alive."

He nodded his head gently and flashed a quick look at me. "Only doing your duty, eh? No 'human feeling' for helping a fellow man in need?" He cocked his head at me.

I pulled my hankerchief out of my pocket and pressed it over his side, drawing a wince. "No. Especially not for a man who murders women and sets up blasts in tunnels."

"Ah." There was a glimmer of comprehension in his eyes. "Thought so. No finer feeling for the low down mongrel scum from the high born gentleman, eh?"

"What do you mean?" I said sharply, cleaning his would with more force than warranted, causing another wince.

"You're the doctor. You guess." He leaned back and looked at me. "We aren't all murderers. A man doesn't want to be a murderer. But sometimes he ain't got a choice."

"You always have a choice. Especially if it involves murdering somebody."

He snorted. "that's all talk. You've got to be in the situation to know what its like." He closed his eyes and spoke in a softer voice. "Annie was my wife, Dr. Watson, and I loved her. I loved her, believe me. But…" And his voice became hard and despite myself, I was listening "…she didn't love me. I took good care of her, I did everything a chap could have done for her and she never gave me a smile. She gave smiles only to one feller and he was the lowest scum I had ever known. He had a couple of mistresses before and he knew women better then us all. One look and Annie was all for him, heart and soul.

I suspected something was up but when I found out, Doctor, believe me, I din't do anything. She was always so happy after meeting him, coming home all radiant like and being cheerful, even with me, her husband who always dragged her down, that I thought that it was fine, let her be for a while, after he moves on she'll be mine again. But I couldn't pit it out of my head and it ate away at my soul like a poison and one day I came home and caught them together, her with her arms around him and laughing and talking. Talking about leaving me and…and running off with him to some place!

Course I should have left it at that and let her do as she pleased. That beast would dump her son, as he had done thousand times before and she would learn her lesson right! But I loved her too much and I was on him and wrestling him away from her in a second. Course she cried murder and was after me with a knife in a second. Then I saw red and I dunno what happened next, it could have been anyone of us, but next moment she was lying on the floor with the knife through her heart.

Course, that scum scarpered after that and I was left with Annie's body and who should enter but her old ma, wanting to know what all the noise was about. She was down the moment she saw Annie's body. I ran after that."

He stopped breathing hard, his chest rising and falling fast. He raised his eyes and I saw despair in their dark depths. "You see now, Dr.Watson?" He said brokenly. "See what I mean?"

I saw. But didn't say anything. What can a man say in such situations? Instead I returned to the tending of his wound. He watched me shrewdly.

"You know, doctor, if I live because of this then the first person I'm gonna come after is Mr. Holmes." His eyes narrowed. "You want that?"

I felt myself stiffening. I understood the threat behind his words. Holmes had built up quite strong case with him and the moment he got out he would be captured again. And escape again. He could do it. I could see it in his eyes. He had done it once, he could do it again.

"If you tell this story of yours to the jury, "I said, hoping to soften him, "They'll be more open to your view."

But he shook his head and smirked. "You think a jury's interested in listening to a murderer's sob story? I don't think so." He smiled that devilish smile. "Still going to help me, doctor?"

"I will help you, "I said firmly, and saw him start. "I will not shirk my duty as a doctor. But, remember this well, Sanders." He frowned as he heard the rise in my voice, "If you come to Baker Street to harm Holmes, it will be I who will step in from of the bullet and not him." His eyes widened as he stared at me. "I trust you understand."

Some thing flickered behind his eyes and he said, very quietly, "There is more to you, Dr.Watson, than meets the eye."

I don't know what my response would have been for the next moment there was the sound of thundering footsteps and a shout.

"Watson! Stand back now!"

Holmes! I stood quickly. I had no idea how much time had passed but Holmes was now back which meant-

There was a sound of matches, quick hushed voices, then the hiss of flame. My blood froze when I realized what they were going to do. In an instant the image of the wall blasting apart appeared before my eyes, and the horrible consequences of it. I looked down at Sanders, who was had gone pale. But he gave a weak smile to me.

"Best get moving, doctor. Mr. Holmes ain't gonna be happy when he comes and finds that I'm the one alive and you dead."

I winced at the airy way he talked of life and death, but moved towards him nevertheless. To leave an injured man-

"Stand back Watson!" There was another hiss. Dynamite.

Sanders gave me a last grin. "You ain't such a bad man after all, you know, Doctor? And if Mister Holmes keeps you 'round then he's got some of his facts straight."

"Sanders-"

But I couldn't complete my thought. There was a massive bang and I was hurled off my feet and against the wall. The world blacked out around me.

For what seemed ages after words, I felt someone shake me frantically.

"Watson! Watson, can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes and Holmes's face swam into view. His grey pupils widened when he saw me looking up at him, and then softened.

"Thank goodness."He helped me to my feet. I leaned against him, and looked around at the devastation wrought in my prison.

"I didn't want to do it this way, but the villagers said it was the only way. There was no other way in." His lip curled. "Dynamite."

I nodded slowly, aware of how much my head was spinning and the rivulets of blood pouring down my arm and head. Holmes had noticed as well, for he pressed his handkerchief against my forehead and gently led me out of the tunnel.

As we passed by a knot of men, I turned my head slightly to look at them. They were crowded around the body of a man, blackened by soot and burn. Sanders.

"Holmes-"

"Later Watson. First we'll get you to the hospital."

He had seen him. He must have and drawn his own conclusions. And the conclusions of Sherlock Holmes remain his own. If he wants to share them with me, he will do so in due time.

But I think he and I must rethink some of our own views. At least to prevent such unsettling occurrences in the future. It is not that I pity Sanders, but I understand how he feels. Both of us were in a way, victims of circumstances.

_**This is dedicated to VHunter07. As I am the perpetual latecomer, what with my terrible net connection and equally erratic parents, this will have to goup a couple of days late. **_

_**I really really really hope you like this V! You were one of my first reviewers and I really owe you for all the confidence you've given me! **_

_**Sorry for making this so sad though. Even I was annoyed! I seemto be losing the knack for making stories going the way I want them to! Oh well…shrugs**_

_**Oh and you lal must have noticed where I had picked up the unfaithful wife story from. Soorry, soory, but it was on short notice and I had really no other idea. **_

_**Also forgive any grammatical mistakes at the end. I was typing **__**seriously**__** fast then! **_

.


End file.
